


Bliss

by takemyopenheart



Category: Open Heart (Visual Novels)
Genre: Cute, F/M, Family, Fatherhood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:26:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24417349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/takemyopenheart/pseuds/takemyopenheart
Summary: Ethan enjoys a day with his kids while his wife is away.
Relationships: Ethan Ramsey/Main Character (Open Heart), Ethan Ramsey/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 14





	Bliss

The high pitched giggle echoed down the hallway, and Ethan slowly tip toed toward the sound. He rounded the corner and found himself in his own office, the sun so bright and shining through the open windows that he quickly spotted just the tiny human he was looking for.

"Hmmm...I wonder where Luca could be..." he turned his footsteps toward the closet door, all the while keeping his eyes glued to the small feet peeking out from below the curtains, the little toes wiggling excitedly, causing the curtain to move. "I think I heard something over here..." Ethan approached his desk, just as another set of footsteps interrupted his search.

"Go away, Jenner! He’ll find me!"

The unmistakable voice of his other tiny human was heard down the hallway and, judging by the footsteps, had settled for a hiding spot in her parents’ bedroom.

A sudden thud grabbed his attention, and his eyes landed on the American Girl doll that fell beside his son’s feet. "Oopsies." Luca reached his little hand down beside his feet to quickly grab hold of his favorite possession.

Ethan bit back a laugh as he watched his little boy stiffen, probably wishing and hoping he’d come out a winner and that his daddy hadn’t discovered his hiding spot.

A panting Jenner walked into the office and immediately went to the silent figure moving by the window.

"No, Jenner!" Luca shouted a whisper as the fawn mutt began sniffing his feet. Jenner made his way behind the curtain, ignoring all pleas to get away. He wanted to be near his best friend. Just what was he doing back there? Why was he hiding from him?

Ethan could no longer contain his laughter when Jenner’s body moved the entire curtain aside, revealing his three-year-old son, whose brows furrowed in frustration that he had been discovered by his supposed ‘best friend’.

"Luca?! You were here this whole time?! Looks like Jenner deserves a treat for helping me find you!"

Luca looked up at his daddy with a pout, still clutching his doll. "No fair, Jenner! You’re in trouble!" he said, pointing his index finger at the one who’d betrayed him. He sat in front of him and sniffed his tiny human’s finger and face before giving his cheek a lick.

Ethan ruffled his little boy’s light brown head of hair. "That’s the game, kiddo. But there’s still someone I haven’t found yet. Do you want to help me?"

Luca’s frown turned upside down, and his sparkling blue eyes that matched his dad’s looked up at him excitedly. "Yeah, yeah! Ready or not, Rey, here I come!" he shouted, running down the hallway in search of his sister.

Jenner ran after him, and Ethan smiled at the sound of his precious baby boy’s tiny pattering feet running along the floor.

Luca stood on his tiptoes, his little hand desperately trying to reach the doorknob of the closet in the hallway. Ethan came up beside him, lifting him up to reach it.

"Thank-oo", he politely thanked his dad and turned the knob, only to find the closet empty. No sign of his big sister, only a vacuum, some bedsheets, and towels.

"We have to keep looking, c’mon," Ethan whispered, nodding his head in the direction of his and his wife’s bedroom. The door was wide open, a sign someone was in there and didn’t bother to close it behind them. That could only mean one thing.

Luca’s eyebrows shot up, and he ran straight inside, nearly tripping over himself.

"Careful, bud."

Luca ignored his dad and got to his knees to lift the comforter to peek underneath the bed. When he didn’t find the person he was looking for, he lifted his little butt to stand, the doll that was in his hand now on the floor and walked around the room, looking behind curtains, behind the dresser and armchair, all possible hiding spots completely void of his sister.

"Wait, we haven’t looked in here." Ethan stepped into the bathroom with Luca running up in front of him, looking around the spacious room with wide eyes.

Ethan could make out the slight shadow of a 42-inch figure hiding behind the shower curtain. He remained by the threshold, watching his son’s eyes landing on the tub before running to it and pushing the curtain aside.

"I found you, Rey!" he shouted at his sister, who jumped before bursting into a fit of giggles.

"Daddy, you were supposed to find me!" she said looking up at her dad as she stepped out of the tub.

"Looks like Luca got to you before I did."

"Yeaaah!!!" Luca raised his arms up in the air, skipping around in a circle, which caused Jenner to bark excitedly while he followed behind his best friend.

Ethan remained with his arms crossed as he took in the sight of his kids jumping and laughing around the room. His heart burst with joy that this was his life now.

Once upon a time, this seemed so out of reach. This wasn’t what he saw in his future. It wasn’t something he was grasping for, until the day he met the woman who would throw all of his rules right out the window. The woman who helped open his eyes and his heart to a brighter world. The woman whom he loved more than words could ever express, who loved him and had given him a chance. The woman he regretted hurting so many times when he’d shut himself away from her. But that seemed like a lifetime ago. She was the exception to the rule, he finally realized. This was meant to be his life. He couldn’t imagine not having her or their babies by his side. They were his life, his heart, and his soul.

Aréya and Luca had now moved to the bedroom, where they continued prancing around in circles with Jenner behind them, chasing them around with his tongue sticking out and his tail wagging back and forth.

"All right, guys. I think you’ve both worked up an appetite. Let’s go make dinner before mommy gets home."

"Okaaay!" they shouted excitedly, running past Ethan and into the living room.

"Luca, you forgot something," Ethan yelled out to his son, who quickly returned. After spotting what he’d left behind, his mouth formed an ‘o’, and he reached down for the American Girl doll before running back to join his sister and Jenner in the kitchen.

"What are we cooking for dinner?" Aréya asked her dad as she and Luca stood in the kitchen.

Ethan reached down to move the dark strands of her bangs that fell a few inches below her eyes away from her face, revealing the same shade of blue pupils she and her brother had inherited from him. Though they had his eyes, Ethan thought they favored their mother. Their skin was a shade lighter than her olive skin tone, they had the same almond-shaped eyes, and they shared her smile. Every time they grinned up at him, he saw the face of the woman he’d given his heart to. They were the most beautiful smiles he would ever have the pleasure of looking at. They were his comfort. All he had to do was look at those identical smiles belonging to the three most important people in his life, and he knew instantly that everything would be okay.

"What do you think? Should we make lasagna or pizza?" he asked, looking at the time on the microwave to ensure they’d have enough time to have either done before Luz got home.

"Pizza, pizza, pizza!!!" they yelled in unison, jumping up and down.

"All right, let’s get started!" He rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

"When is mommy coming home?" Rey asked, watching her daddy gather all the ingredients for the pizza.

"It’s two now, she’ll be here around five, angel, so that’s how many hours from now?"

She looked at her little hand and counted with her fingers. "That’s three hours!"

"You’re correct! Good job!" Ethan lifted his hand for her to high-five. Her hand slapped his, and he quickly tickled her stomach, causing her to squeal and giggle, and he continued on with his task.

"All right, guys, come here and wash your hands," he instructed them after gathering all the ingredients together on the counter to make the pizza dough.

Rey quickly ran to stand on her stool, meanwhile Ethan picked Luca up as he still couldn’t quite reach the sink just yet. They scrubbed their soapy hands together like mommy had taught them, and after drying them with the hand towel, they each sat in their own stool and began helping knead the dough.

Ethan watched with an amused grin as Rey’s little tongue stuck out, face full of concentration as her small hands patted the flour atop the dough. Luca mimicked his big sister’s maneuver, but with a little more force than was necessary, causing the flour to land on his upper arms, shirt, and face. Ethan couldn’t contain his laughter, and soon enough, the combined laughter of all three filled the kitchen. This was bliss.

Once the dough was prepared, they got working on the tomato sauce. And Rey and Luca helped decide on the toppings for their pizza—a combination of veggies and classic pepperoni. Something both healthy and savory.

"It looks yummy! Yummy, yummy, YUMMY!" Luca sang, running back and forth from the kitchen to the dining room.

"Daddy, what time is it now?" Rey asked over her brother’s voice.

"It’s almost five, mommy should be home soon. Why don’t you both go clean up your rooms so that they’ll be nice and tidy for when she comes home."

"I cleaned it already," Rey answered confidently. Sure enough, her room was spotless. All toys were put away in her toy box, her bed was neatly made, and her dirty clothes were all put away in the hamper.

"Your room looks awesome, angel. You did a good job," Ethan praised his five-year-old, who stood proudly in the middle of her forest-themed room.

A sudden gust of wind went past his legs, and Luca landed, in dramatic fashion, on the beanbag next to the toy box.

"You too, bud. Let’s go see how clean your room is. Come on."

Luca rolled his little body off the beanbag and sprinted away to his bedroom with Jenner and his sister behind him.

His bed was a bit of a mess, but besides that, the room wasn’t in too much of a disarray. Ethan crouched down at Luca’s eye level. "What do you do with the toys once you’ve finished playing with them?"

"Uhm, put it in the toy box!" he mumbled, putting his fingers in his mouth, which Ethan promptly removed before smoothing his thick growing hair behind his ears.

"Yes, that’s right. I see some toys are not put away. Can you do that for me?" he gently asked his son, who enthusiastically nodded and began picking up and putting away his stuffed Zebra, the little animals from his safari set, along with the Thomas the Engine Tank locomotive toy, which had all been laying on the floor.

The toy box clicked shut, and Ethan gave him a satisfied grin. "You did it, bud! High-five!"

"I did it!" Luca yelled triumphantly before wrapping his arms around his daddy’s neck.

"Yes, good job, and now—" Ethan continued, circling his arm around his tiny waist "—what else needs to be made? Can you look around and tell me?" he asked Luca, who hummed as he looked around his purple and blue room. He pondered with his index finger over his lips, knowing fully well mommy and daddy didn’t like it when his fingers went into his mouth.

Seeing that he couldn’t figure it out, he decided to help him. "Does your bed look made?"

"Oh!" He rushed over to his twin bed and began arranging the pillow, as well as the bedspread, which had been bunched around, into a neatly fashion.

Jenner sniffed around the bed that his tiny human was moving around in, while Rey stood beside her daddy with her hand on his shoulder as she watched her little brother tidy his room.

"And that’s how it’s done. You both did a great job today, thank you," Ethan said, giving both his babies a kiss on the cheek.

They were all smiles and active energy as they headed back to the kitchen to check on the pizza. "Okay, guys, you want me to put on a movie?" After an answer of excited yeses, he scrolled for their favorite movie and snuggled up with them and Jenner on the sofa after checking on their pizza, which would soon be devoured as soon as Luz came home. Both his kids’ heads rested underneath his arms, while he softly caressed their arms, and he thanked his lucky stars that he was blessed with such a perfect family.

Of course, it wasn’t always perfect. But at the end of the day, he wouldn’t trade anything in his life. His kids were happy and safe, and that’s all he ever wanted. His beautiful wife would soon be coming home from Sienna’s baby shower, and they’d be complete again. He smiled and felt a sting well up behind his eyes. He bent down, leaving a kiss on each of their foreheads, and held them tighter.


End file.
